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Friday, May 31, 2013

Little Free Libraries

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need"

~Marcus Tullius Cicero

Little free libraries is a concept which began with a group in Wisconsin and has spread across the country and the globe. Have you heard of this phenomenon? You put out a box full of books and allow the public to take a book to read and give a book for others to enjoy. These boxes are being added to public parks, downtown areas, and neighborhoods.

This is a fabulous way to promote literacy and encourage students of all ages to share/donate their books that they have already read. Gardens on Green is a public education garden supported by the Master Gardeners of Hall County, Georgia (of which I am affiliated). We kicked off this concept for the county with three boxes: one for elementary school, one for middle school and one for high school level readers.

Georgia state bird: Brown Thrasher

The boxes have been painted to tie in the garden theme and the state symbols of Georgia. Our state bird: the brown thrasher; our state butterfly: the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail; and, state tree: the Live Oak.

Georgia state butterfly (showing the life cycle): Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

The purpose of the little free libraries began as a way to support community libraries by extending their reach to areas in the community that may not otherwise use them. Many boxes are being themed with ideas such as "We're Cooking Now", "History in a Box", "House of Health & Wellness" or a "Celebration of Culture & Community. The ideas are endless!

Georgia state tree: Live Oak

At Gardens on Green the libraries have been seeded with gardening
themed books to encourage not only reading but also life in the natural
world. Think faeries, dirt, insects, life cycles, seeds, exploration, dragonflies, amphibians and wildflowers. There are so many ways to get immersed into the world of nature! And if you are a parent of a young student you can use the books as a way to introduce gardening concepts to your child. Most recently we had a group of students who made magical faerie houses using elements found in the garden. What a great way to create memories and maybe even ignite a passion for nature!

So grab a book and find a comfortable place to sit in one of the 7 themed gardens that make up Gardens on Green (vegetable garden, pollinator garden, native garden, conifer garden, bulb garden, gold medal garden and deer resistant garden) and enjoy your read!

You can take the book home but don't forget to put a book in the box that you think others may enjoy.

Gardens on Green is a public educational garden located at 711 Green Street, Gainesville, Georgia and is a collaborative effort of the Hall County Master Gardeners and Hall County School System

11 comments:

What a great idea. I just joined a community garden in the spring and have back issues of organic gardening that other gardeners might find useful. One of the bureaus at work has a mystery bookcase, too. Anyone can take a book or leave a book.

I read about this library movement not too long ago. What a fabulous idea!! That is so great you got to be involved in setting one up. I hope it gets lots of use! I love the cute little fairy gardens, too :)

I've heard of this idea and think it's really cool. I've also heard of people who leave books in public places that have had the interior pages stamped with instructions to return them to another public place after they've been read. I really love that the book boxes are themed. :o)

Welcome to Southern Meadows

At Southern Meadows we garden for wildlife. Located in northeast Georgia in eco-region 231 (Southeasst Mixed Forest Province) / zone 8a on 10 acres of meadow and forest habitat. I’m Karin, gardener, photographer and writer. I hope you enjoy a little taste of Georgia and will come back and visit often. xo!

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NABA Butterfly Count

The NABA Memorial Day Count (in the United States) will be held May 27-29, 2017. All you need to do is to observe butterflies at one or more of your favorite butterflying localities (such as your own backyard) this coming Memorial Day weekend and note what butterflies you’ve seen. There are no requirements regarding how much time or area you cover. Then go to the NABA web site, www.naba.org, and from there to the Recent Sightings (sightings.naba.org) web page and enter your report, filling in the location, date, and butterflies seen.